Developer Klei’s knack for identifying a popular genre and making its own distinctive mark on it has long been one of its greatest strengths. From Don’t Starve’s quirky, Tim Burton-esque take on survival sims to Mark Of The Ninja’s elegant sidescrolling stealth, the studio’s games elevate established genres with craft, imagination and style. Science-fiction adventure Griftlands continues this trend, taking the Roguelike and the deck-builder and giving them a Klei spin. While narrative is often pushed to the side in these games, Griftlands places it front and centre, using randomisation, character relationships and player choice to construct some brilliantly dynamic, interactive stories. And underpinning everything is a slick card battler, where you use your ever-growing deck to tackle both combat and tense negotiations.

It’s set on an unnamed planet –a scuzzy galactic backwater populated by aliens, grizzled mercs, jellyfishworshipping cultists, and malfunctioning robots. It’s a confidently realised setting, with masses of fascinating backstory that’s never forced on you, but emerges naturally through the dialogue. If you want to learn more about something – say, the sea-god worshipped by those cultists – its name will be highlighted whenever it crops up in conversation. Hover over the text to see a lean snippet of vivid world-building. You’re never deluged with exposition, but the game still manages to draw you deep into its setting.